Tom Morello MasterClass Review 2022 | Is It Worth It?

This article on “Tom Morello Masterclass Review” will provide you with the opportunity to read an in-depth evaluation of Tom Morello’s MasterClass, including information on how the courses are presented, who the course is best suited for, the cost, and which course, online class I enjoyed the most, etc.

Regarding the Tom Morello MasterClass, I have a lot of thoughts and opinions to share in this article of Tom Morello MasterClass Review. To summarise, I would have to say that this is without a doubt one of the best online courses I’ve ever taken.

Harpist by trade and with extensive training in the classical tradition here. Because of this MasterClass, I was forced to step outside of my comfort zone and give playing Tom Morello riffs on an electric harp a shot (yes they do exist, and video below).

However:

After I had finished the course, I went online to look at other reviews and was surprised to find that there were some critical ones available.

In this review of the Tom Morello MasterClass, I will provide you with all of the information you require to make an informed decision regarding whether or not the class is worthwhile and whether or not it is a good fit for you.

The positives, the negatives, and the unpleasant aspects. Everything is right here.

So let’s get started!

Who Is Tom Morello?

Thomas Baptist Morello is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, and political activist. He is best known for his tenure with the rock band Rage Against the Machine and then with Audioslave. Between 2016 and 2019, Morello was a member of the supergroup Prophets of Rage.

Now, if you’re here, you most likely are familiar with Tom Morello and what he does. The following are some bizarre facts about him that you probably aren’t aware of:

• Tom Morello has been honored with two Grammy Awards, the Harry Chapin Humanitarian Award, and a spot at number 26 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time. Morello is best known for his work to end world hunger.
• Because of his legendary status as an electric guitar player, Bruce Springsteen asked Tom Morello to play on the limited edition of his album The Ghost of Tom Joad. Morello accepted the invitation.
• Morello is a phenomenal guitarist, and in addition to that, he holds a degree in Social Sciences from Harvard University.
• In addition to that, you may have seen him in cameo roles in Star Trek and Iron Man 2

On social media platforms such as Twitter, where he has more than 941 thousand followers, Tom Morello often posts content that is both entertaining and informative.

What Is Masterclass?

MasterClass is a learning platform that was established in 2015. Its primary goal is as follows: In order to provide regular people with the opportunity to learn from the very best.

The platform currently offers more than 150 courses that are led by A-list instructors such as Neil deGrasse Tyson, Gordon Ramsay, Hans Zimmer, and Deadmau5, and additional courses are being added on a monthly basis.

Having said that, some are better than others, and the learning style isn’t for everyone, so it’s really helpful to check out some reviews and find out if it’s right for you to check out some reviews.

Course Over – Tom Morello Masterclass Review

The entirety of Tom Morello’s MasterClass is comprised of carefully curated content, in which he discusses playing the guitar, honing your craft, and also composing music with it.

It will be difficult for me to compile Tom Morello’s MasterClass because there was so much information to take in, but I will summarise the most important takeaways and group them together.

Shall we get started right away, without further ado?

1. Introduction – Tom Morello

The first lesson of Tom Morello’s MasterClass was fairly straightforward. In it, the instructor introduces himself and goes over a rundown of the topics that will be covered throughout the rest of the program.

The fact that I already had some information about what I would be taught in his MasterClass was very exciting.

2. Boosting creativity in your voice

Tom emphasizes the significance of having a creative voice in the process of making music and talks about its importance. In Lesson 2, he will also walk you through the process of effectively developing and enhancing it.

You will gain valuable insights into the ways in which he developed his voice in an inventive and adaptable manner in order to make music.

In this section, he does not discuss his “actual voice,” but rather the thinking and effort required to locate one’s tone, which is then followed by significant lessons on gaining an understanding of the art of riff creation.

In addition to that, he combines a variety of tones and creates a new mix, which is very impressive.

3. Tunes & Tones

In the fourth lesson, we focused on experimenting with new tones and sound pedals to create different sounds. Tom not only plays his instrument but also demonstrates its functionality of it to the audience.

In addition to that, he provides instructive tidbits and discusses the advantages of employing a low gear, both of which I made a point to jot down right away because I believe that any novice can profit from information of this nature.

Later on, he discusses how he transitioned from playing an electric guitar in a recording studio to performing on stage in front of a live audience, which was a transition that was brilliantly explained.

4. Tom’s exclusive sounds

Tom introduces students to the contents of his sound library in Lesson 6, which includes 13 distinct beats and sounds.

He refers to this as the “noise chart,” which featured an extremely useful assortment of sounds from which to draw inspiration. The fact that you have access to direct and exclusive content is one of the reasons I adore MasterClass.

Playing with teeth, cello delay, and feedback toggle are a few that come to mind off the top of my head. Even though these sounds are very basic, learning music with them is helped tremendously by it.

In addition to the chart, Tom suggests the following other methods for you to use when compiling a sound library:

5. How to practice

Tom goes beyond what the instructors of an online course will typically do, which is to say that they will not cover the practice sessions or how to put the information learned from the course into practice.

In the ninth lesson, he discusses some creative methods that can be used while training, and then he moves on to some important theoretical lessons that should be remembered.

NOTE: If you’re serious about becoming a better musician, you should give this lesson your undivided attention because every piece of information that Tom provides is instructive and useful.

6. Writing lyrics to a melody

If you thought that Tom Morello’s MasterClass was only about learning how to play the guitar or another instrument, you were wrong. You are most likely mistaken due to the fact that Morello also instructs you on how to write mesmerizing lyrics in addition to melodies.

When it comes to simplifying concepts that are inherently complex, he is an excellent instructor who should be looked up to. Like, poetry might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but he carefully explains how to start, where to start, and also when to start with the writing after making music. He also tells you when to start writing after making music.

It was more like an enlightening lesson on writing than anything else. There was no instruction in music here at all.

7. Recording at the studio

There is nothing particularly noteworthy covered in the “Studio Recording” lesson because Tom primarily discusses things like playing instruments, multitracking, and working and collaborating with his crew.

In addition to that, he provides an overview of the numerous techniques that are available to musicians at his studio. You will have the opportunity to observe how things are carried out in a methodical manner free of any visual lag.

After that, he makes the suggestion that you use your creativity to your greatest advantage while you are recording.

8. Farewell to music

In Tom Morello’s lessons 21-24, Tom conducts an in-depth case study on a few of his works, offers helpful guidance on live shows, and discusses efficient warm-up tips to remain ready.

In addition to that, he talks about the important things to think about before joining a band and shares his experience working with producers, both of which were interesting topics to learn about.

After all of that, he wraps up his lecture with a summary and completes the course in a grand fashion.

Tom Morello MasterClass Key Lessons and Notes

Throughout the entirety of the MasterClass, I took extensive notes in order to better assist my student in putting the most important concepts and ideas to use afterward.

The videos contained a number of insights and lessons that were surprisingly profound, and as a result, I found myself taking a lot of notes while watching them.

Here are some of the most important takeaways, ideas, and notes I jotted down while attending MasterClass. Even though I’ve made an effort to explain everything very clearly, please keep in mind that there is no way that a few sentences can compete with a video that is twenty minutes long and explains everything in detail.

Tom Morello Masterclass Review: The Pros

The most helpful and enjoyable aspects of this MasterClass were the parts in which Tom demonstrated how to write riffs and then provided exercises that showed how others could do the same.

Something like this has never been covered in any of the standard guitar lessons or interviews that can be found on YouTube. Simply having access to that portion of the course was worth the purchase price to me.

It was fairly obvious that Tom had given a lot of thought to the subjects that he would cover in the course as well as the subjects that he would not cover. It would have been easy for him to spend half of the class time teaching step-by-step how to play RATM songs, but instead, he chose to steer clear of those topics and spend more time discussing songwriting.

Which made this class a much better investment. Tom was a surprisingly good guitar teacher, and he was very good at explaining abstract concepts to his students.

It has always been frustrating for me to hear famous guitarists struggle to explain the creative process or how they approach songwriting. Therefore, it was great to hear Tom explain these topics clearly and in terms that are applicable in everyday life.

Tom Morello Masterclass Review: The Cons

The portion of the MasterClass in which he instructed fundamental techniques and scales was by far the most unsuccessful. Even though mastering scales was essential to his instruction on improvising and soloing, the material appeared to be out of place in this class. Scales are something that can be easily learned on YouTube, so teaching them in a masterclass setting is not really necessary.

If you’ve already mastered the fundamental scales covered in this section of the course, you won’t get anything out of watching Tom explain to them because that section is designed for people who are just getting started with learning them.

Because of this, developing a course like this one, which attempts to meet the needs of all guitarists, can be problematic. If you’re just starting out on the guitar, you probably won’t have much of a grasp on some of the more advanced concepts.

It will be many years before you fully understand the significance of the lessons that are contained within these subjects. On the other hand, if you are an advanced guitarist, some of the topics, such as learning basic scales, will be well beyond your current level of expertise.

Creating unique sounds using your electric guitar

Morello explains the process of experimenting with and developing new sounds through the use of pedals in the video he titled “tones and sounds.” The fact that an electric guitar can be made to sound like other instruments, such as a cello or bagpipes, completely blew my mind. This video absolutely blew my mind in every way.

In it, he describes how he keeps track of the various sound elements that he generates by using what he refers to as his “noise chart.” It is a fantastic method for documenting your creative accomplishments and making it possible to effortlessly reproduce them at any time in the future.

A technical ability such as this one has never been discussed before in my experience. Because Tom explains things in such a way that I can understand them, even though this portion of the course is fairly technical. For my part, I am not sure that I am prepared to implement this strategy just yet.

However, more experienced musicians will undoubtedly be able to take something useful away from this section of the course. Even people who don’t play the guitar can make their own version of Tom’s noise chart and use it to keep track of their musical innovations. This will allow them to create music that is more engaging.

Creating your own tracks

The focus of Tom’s masterclass goes well beyond simply improving one’s ability to play the guitar. It is very important to him that each of his pupils discovers their unique voice and composes their own music.

As a result, carrying out these activities constitutes a sizeable portion of the overall curriculum. Tom covers the following topics in a great deal of depth in order to assist you in accomplishing this goal:

• Rock songwriting fundamentals
• Riff rock writing: verses and multitracking
• Riff rock writing: chorus, solo, and arrangement
• Writing poetic lyrics
• Creating a melody that fits
• Getting the most out of each studio recording session

What Did I Like About Tom Morello’s MasterClass?

Many aspects of Tom Morello’s MasterClass impressed me. These are the names of the individuals:

Resourceful Workbook

When I first started the course, the workbook helped me get started. Materials like notes and snippets of music made it easier to learn new things.

When Tom Morello was teaching riffs in electric guitar playing, I used the workbook provided with his MasterClass to follow along.

Even if Tom’s instruction is confusing to me (which is rare), I can always refer to my workbook and quickly grasp the idea being taught at the moment.

Beautifully Curated Content

To begin with, the course was organized in a way that was easy to follow for a novice. The lectures were well-structured and there was no confusion as a result of the extensive explanations.

In addition, you learn a lot from playing an electric guitar, from how to play it to how to make music with it. I was able to master electric guitar playing from the ground up this way.

Excellent Teacher

The fact that Morello was a talented musician and an outstanding teacher was a pleasant surprise to me. The entire course is presented in an orderly fashion, as previously stated.

Unlike other MasterClass instructors, he used a practical approach in his instruction, which was unusual because it is often disregarded.

Effective Practical Tips

With the instruction, you also receive a variety of practical and useful guitar lesson tips and tricks. When I was unsure if I should use a given method, Tom would often give me a piece of advice to support my decision.

I recommend keeping a notepad with you when doing the lectures, as there are a lot of helpful tidbits that you won’t find anywhere else.

Tom Morello Masterclass Review: Is It Worth It?

In other words, does Tom Morello’s MasterClass make sense?

Yes, that’s correct.

However, there are a number of variables to consider.

It’s unlikely that this lesson is right for you if you’re a total novice who wants to learn how to play the guitar. It’s not going to be Tom’s job to dissect the fine points of guitar technique for you.

This course isn’t for you if you don’t like his music (although I have to wonder how you got this far in the review if you didn’t!).

For what it is, it’s impossible to blame this class. You won’t regret taking this class thanks to Morello’s expertise and attention to detail.

As a seasoned professional musician, I found this MasterClass to be a game-changer and well worth the price of admission alone.

Morello’s techniques and attitude were applied to my electric harp playing (something I’m pretty sure has never been done before!) My playing improved significantly as a result of my morello-style dedication to practice.

With an All-Access Pass, you may also take MasterClasses with Carlos Santana, Deadmau5, and Hans Zimmer. MasterClass has a 30-day money-back guarantee in case you don’t like it.

Is this a good fit for you? Take a look at Tom Morello’s MasterClass right here.

Conclusion

I think what’s more frustrating to me than the course itself, is the company behind it and how they’re marketing their content.

In that regard, I don’t really blame Morello for putting his name on this program. It helps build his brand and he’s teaching what he knows. It’s a win for him in multiple ways.

But I wouldn’t call Masterclass a top-tier educational resource based on the name recognition they’ve been able to pull together.

Add the horrendously-written guitar articles and overpriced content, and you get a platform that I’m happy to pass on and recommend others do the same.

Check out the alternatives listed at the beginning of this review. In our honest opinion, they’re the best and I’m not saying that just so you’ll follow an affiliate link. You could even Google the name of whichever one you like and it’ll come up. I don’t care.

Just don’t fall for Masterclass’s cliche over-sell. In the words of a famous wedding crasher, “I’m not askin’ you to marry me, I’m just askin’ ya not to marry him.”

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